25 Natural Energy Boosters That Just Might Change Your Life

Chase fatigue out of your day with these natural ways to jump-start your energy.

Turn off the news for one week

iStock/Dean Mitchell

Depressing television news of politics, murders, fires, and terrorism can quickly drain your mental reserves. If you’re a news junkie, try this experiment for one week: Stop reading your newspaper and watch only one television news program a day (or none if you can stand it). Notice how you feel at the end of the week. If you feel more energetic and peaceful, stick to your new habit.

Create a mail-sorting center

iStock/lolostock

Clutter is not only distracting, it’s frustrating and energy-wasting. (How many times have you scoured the house for lost keys or bills that were right in front of you?) To keep track of your bills and other mail, buy an open file box or hanging files from an office supply store. Place it in your kitchen and use it to sort your mail into categories such as “bills,” “receipts,” and “letters.” “When you know where your bills are, you can pay them on time, thus reducing frustration and stress,” says Audrey Thomas, an organizational consultant and author of The Road Called Chaos.

Breathe in new energy

iStock/Jacob Ammentorp Lund

Sit in a chair with a straight back. Place your hands over your stomach and breathe into your tummy so that your hands rise and fall with your breath. Imagine you are inhaling a white light that fills your body with vital energy. Do this for five full breaths. Then, as you inhale, tighten the muscles that connect your shoulders and neck, pulling your shoulders up toward your ears. “When you have inhaled all you can and your shoulders are snug around your ears, hold your breath for just a second,” says Karl D. La Rowe, a licensed clinical social worker and mental health investigator in Oregon. “Then exhale as you release the tension and your breath in one big whoosh — as if you were releasing the weight of the world from your shoulders. Repeat until you feel clear, refreshed, and revitalized.” These mini meditations can banish stress and anxiety.